I'm the new kid on the block--although being 55 hardly qualifies me as a "kid." Throughout my 22 year career as a U.S. Army enlisted man (9 years) and officer (13 years) I was always on the cutting edge of word processing--from OCR to VDT to PCs with Windows. My education includes a BA in business with a minor in journalism from McKendree College of Lebanon, IL, and a masters and doctorate in history from Temple University. Over the years I became a devotee of all types of devices and now have an above average desktop PC (ABS), a decent notebook (HP ze4906), and a so-so PDA (HP IPAQ rx3115). I'm looking to upgrade my PDA without breaking the bank and hope to learn more about PDAs from this forum.

Before you upgrade, ask yourself what you want to do with your PDA. If you like reading e-books, make sure you got one with a decent resolution (those 640x480 VGA Pocket PCs are gorgeous!). On the other hand, if your main goal is to organize your days and phone numbers, you may as well consider buying a Palm handheld (e.g. a Palm Treo).

Mahalo, Colin! I'm actually quite pleased with my HP IPAQ rx 3115. However, I would like a screen with better resolution and a faster processor. That 300 MHz processor I've got is so s-l-o-w and then there's that blasted white screen--which comes up all too often--demanding a soft reset. Arrghh!

The other thing is deciding on staying with 2003 2d ed. or going to WM 5.0. The more I read, the more I think I'll be better served by sticking with the horse I'm riding and what until more models with VGA and an improved WM 5.0 become available--which, if present trends continue, should be some time in the next six to 12 months.

Only four days left before my trip to O'ahu! Weather forecast doesn't look too good now, with rain and showers, but I've heard the hotel is amazing, so in the worst case, I'll enjoy the hotel spa every day.

You're coming at a most interesting time. The windward side of Oahu has been getting hammered with heavy rain and thunderstorms for the past two days. There has been localized flooding between Kaneohe and Laie on the east side of the island. Lucky for you, though, the forecast is improving significantly and should be lovely by the time you arrive!

For a moment, my heart stopped. Travelling 25 hours to see heavy rain and thunderstorms... not exactly my idea of spending a nice time on the islands of Hawaii. Let's hope that the weathermen are right this time!!

At this point, you might want to start checking the Weather Bug. Auwe! Parts of Oahu and Kauai reported receiving over 18 inches of rain during a 24-hour period ending earlier today! Best of all, on the 6 p.m. weather forecast, Oahu's meteorologist said more rain is on the way overnight and into tomorrow. . . .

At this point, you might want to start checking the Weather Bug. Auwe! Parts of Oahu and Kauai reported receiving over 18 inches of rain during a 24-hour period ending earlier today! Best of all, on the 6 p.m. weather forecast, Oahu's meteorologist said more rain is on the way overnight and into tomorrow. . . .